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VFK Catacomb Quest! (2018)
The VFK Catacomb Quest is a weekly quest that appeared on VFK. Description Are you the kind of person who loves being shocked, frightened and completely terrified? Well be prepared to be thrilled by some of the scariest, fearfully eerie places on the planet! These dank, dark and often dangerous tunnels are packed chock full of skeletons - millions of them - yes, Catacombs! So fill your pockets with extra batteries for your brightest flashlight, and start repeating, "I'm not afraid of the dark!" for on today's quest, we are going to explore the creepiest most "bone chilling" places anywhere, the subterranean realm of catacombs! Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and a Skull Bearing Skeleton! Reward * Skull Bearing Skeleton * 1,000 Credits Questions and Answers # When we think of Catacombs, we think of tunnel upon tunnel completely lined in skeletons, but, even though they are now places of burial, many of them did not start out that way. In fact, most were re-purposed from their original uses to become crypts. Perhaps the most widely known of these are the Catacombs of Paris, which originally were stone quarries. What had been excavated from these ancient abandoned stone quarries beneath the city of Paris? #* Marble #* Diamonds #* Plaster of Paris #* Coal # Long ago, when the cemeteries of the prospering city of Paris were severely overcrowded, they came up with the idea of using the ancient mine tunnels under the city as crypts. The cemeteries were exhumed and thousands of skeletons were relocated to the tunnels. By disturbing the remains of so many people, you are bound to offend a few ghosts, as visitors to the catacombs will attest. Visitors tell of feeling as though they are "touched by unseen hands," or that they are being followed. Some report cold spots and others a wide variety of ghostly phenomena. Go to Kelly's Hideout in Australia, and say: "I am not afraid of the dark!" # You might think that ghosts plaguing the catacombs would be the worst of Paris' problems, however, the tunnels also present a dangerous hazard. In many places the tunnels are unsupported, and the weight of the overhead Parisian streets has caused the streets to collapse into the caverns below. Visitors have been exposed to such hazards as cave-ins, nausea from the thin air, becoming lost, and even falling into 30-foot-deep wells. Gaston Leroux, created a fictional character that concealed himself in "that infernal underground maze." What was the name of his famous character? #* The Canterbury Ghost #* Phantom of the Opera #* Mr. Hyde #* Phantom of Paris # Another use of this maze of tunnels has been for secret meeting places over the centuries. In the 1300's, bandits hid under the Chateau de Vauvert, and in 1348, when the "Black Death" was ravaging the city, sorcerers were known to use the tunnels. During World War II, Resistance fighters hid in the maze of tunnels. Go to the Waterfall in Australia, and say: "Are you afraid of ghosts?" # Paris wasn't alone in the ancient world as having catacombs beneath the surface. Roman catacombs have an interesting history as well. Discovered in what is now the North West of Italy, including the city of Rome, an ancient civilization called the Etruscans excavated a huge network of underground burial chambers beneath their city. What unusual features did the Etruscans put in some of these ancient chambers? #* Life-size sculptures #* Replicas of Egyptian pyramids #* Ancient drawings of space ships #* Reconstructed dinosaur skeletons # Visiting the amazing Etruscan chambers can be a frightening experience. Visitors in some cases have feelings of intense anxiety, panic and suffocating claustrophobia, plus visions of ghostly beings floating in the tunnels, and ghostly voices whispering in the dank chambers and empty burial niches. Go to the Medieval Blacksmith's in Medieval Age, and say: "The tunnels are haunted!" # Another very ghostly place is the Edinburgh Vaults or South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh, Scotland, which were completed in 1788. The Edinburgh Vaults were a series of nineteen arch viaducts forming a bridge, with vaults created in the arches of the South Bridge. They were designed to house craftsmen, cobblers and other tradesmen in the thriving commercial district, but now they are infested with haunting specters! Only one arch is still visible today. What is the name of this lone remaining arch? #* Sweetwater Arch #* Norland Arch #* Trollgate Arch #* Cowgate Arch # When the closed vaults were discovered and unearthed in the 1990's, ghost hunters flocked to the site, attracted by the many ghostly residents still haunting the vaults. These specters have even been named. "Mr. Boots" clomps noisily on the stone floor behind tour groups, and pushes visitors from behind. Jack, another named resident, is a transparent boy who runs around in the dark rooms laughing. Go to the Castle Gate in Medieval Age, and say: "Stomp, stomp, stomp!" # An unusual maze of catacombs can be found in the Czech Republic, under the historic city of Znojmo. Built mostly in the 1300's to 1500's, the Znojmo Catacombs consist of an interconnected maze of basements, subcellars, and underground tunnels. Individual cellars beneath the houses of the city were extended to build the extensive labyrinth. Why were they originally connected? #* They were converted into quarries #* For defence against enemies #* For burial chambers #* For long term grain storage # The townspeople dug the maze as protection against invading enemy forces. Booby traps such as trapdoors, slippery slides, and narrow passageways were constructed to mislead invaders who found an entrance. For the townspeople who knew the way, however, the passageways gave an escape route under the walls and out of the town, enabling them to hunt for food in times of siege. Such features as wells and a drainage system in the catacombs ensured long term survival. Go to the Sleepy Hollow Lobby in Victorian Age, and say: "In case of an emergency, go in the catacombs!" Top 30 Finishers The first 30 to finish with the fastest times: Category:Weekly Quest